Latos feels good after another bullpen session

PHILADELPHIA -- Mat Latos threw 35 pitches, felt great and is scheduled to throw live batting practice this upcoming week in Washington, D.C., before a game with the Nationals.

He wore a smile on Saturday, but he's still making sure he's not too excited about his potential return.

Latos has been to this point before, throwing in a minor-league game during spring training and starting a game in Pensacola and scheduling another game in advance of what he hoped would be his 2014 debut. That's when the flexor mass in his right arm started bothering him.

"I'm not excited at all. I'm grateful and glad that everything is going probably as smooth as it was last time when I wound up getting hurt all over again," Latos said. "As far as anything else, this is a day-to-day process. I don't want to get too excited because we've been down this road before and then I had that flare-up and setback. Knock on wood, but everything is going really well."

And it is. Right now, it's a sign in the right direction, but he's not at the city limits sign telling him he's arrived.

"The bullpen sessions feel really good," Latos said. "The ball feels like it's jumping out of my hand. I feel like I've got good action on my pitches. I'm able to throw all of my pitches. It wasn't an issue before hand but it's still a good thing. We're still on the right track."

Latos said he threw all of his pitches Saturday and expects to do the same Tuesday. He expects to face both right-handed and left-handed batters, including perhaps injured right fielder Jay Bruce.

"I think they wanted me to give Jay Bruce an ego boost before he comes back," Latos said. "I'm going to go out there and lay it down the middle and hopefully, he hits four home runs off me so we can get him back as soon as possible."

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Bruce progressing: Bruce shagged fly balls and took batting practice before Saturday's game -- the first time he's taken fly balls in the outfield.

He also did agility drills for the first time on Friday, and felt good about his progress with both.

"(I) felt good, a little awkward, just because I haven't done it and (I'm) still obviously recovering," Bruce said. "I felt good, running around, no problems at all. I took it easy, I made some cuts and stuff like that, it felt good."

He was also very happy with how his batting practice session went, and noted that he would also hit off of Latos this upcoming week.

"Other than pulling too many balls, it was a good session. That had nothing to do with the knee," Bruce said. "It felt great. Felt great. Absolutely no pain. Hitting felt the most normal it has in a long time. So that's awesome. That feels really good. Throwing is good. Everything is great. Everything's going really well right now. The running is going to be the part that's going to have to progress and I'm going to have to listen to my body. Today, though, I did some strides and had them open up a little bit to chase some balls down. Pivoting, stuff like that, just some normal baseball stuff today, that's good."

As for his timetable to return, Bruce said he's hopeful it'll be sooner than the original four-week prognosis.

"Personally I'd like to think it'd be less than that, but at the end of the day it's going to be a collective agreement and I have to progress," Bruce said. "The biggest parts are going to be running, running the bases, stuff like that. Completely normal. So, as of right now, I'm on track at the very least, and I'm feeling really good."

Soto starts: Neftali Soto got his first start of the season at his natural position: first base. He's started one game at third base and another at DH this year.

"As I've said a lot, many times before, with the injuries, it's a great opportunity for other guys to step up and contribute to us playing winning baseball and winning baseball games," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It's another opportunity for Neftali Soto. He's historically hit left-handed pitching well, we've got a couple of left-handed pitchers coming up with (Cole) Hamels and Cliff Lee."

Last season with Triple-A Louisville, Soto hit .245/.284/.361 against right-handed pitchers and .308/.358/.500 against left-handed pitchers. This year he's 2 for 5 against lefties and 0 for 12 against right-handers.

"We've asked a lot from some of these guys on our bench We've asked guys like Soto, (Roger) Bernadia and (Ramon) Santiago to come in in a pinch and come in and play defense or pinch-run or get a spot start, whatever it may be," Price said. "I think it's tougher for a guy like Nefatli, for a guy who doesn't have a long history in the big leagues and certainly not a long history as a bench player, in trying to keep his swing short, productive and stay sharp defensively at both the concern positions and catcher as an emergency catcher -- we've asked a lot from a young guy. I actually feel good about getting him this opportunity to play."

Day off for Mesoraco: Price said he was going to give Devin Mesoraco, fresh off the disabled list, either Saturday or Sunday off, and he decided it would be Saturday. Tucker Barnhart caught Homer Bailey.

Brayan Pena has not caught Bailey, while Barnhart and Mesoraco entered Saturday having both caught him four times. Bailey's ERA is 3.86 with Barnhart and 5.73 with Mesoraco.

"Instead of total immersion, he's going to be our regular catcher, you're not going to see him catch two out of every five, but on his way back from rehab, I don't think it makes a great deal of sense to play him every day," Price said. "Pena will continue to catch Johnny Cueto, that's been a very good relationship. You'll see a lot of Devin Mesoraco."

Price on Cueto: With two national reporters coming to Citizens Bank Park for Johnny Cueto, Price spent a good deal of time talking about his ace.

When asked about some of the changes to his pitch sequencing and selection, Price joked that one of the reasons Cueto is seeing such great results was a "better pitching coach."

Jeff Pico is in his first year as the Reds' pitching coach, replacing Price, who was the team's pitching coach from 2010-2013.

One of the more interesting things to come out of the conversation was the surprising player to whom Price compared Cueto -- Jamie Moyer.

"It's funny, because they're not at all similar in pitching style, but I really feel like Johnny Cueto and Jamie Moyer are similar in that they're always finding ways to get better," Price said. "If you look at Johnny Cueto in 2008 -- fastball, slider, changeup. Mostly fastball, slider. He didn't handle the bat, wasn't a good bunter. I don't know how he held runners, I don't know that.

"I know from that time to now, he's our best sacrifice bunt guy in our starting rotation, he's got the best pickoff move and quickest feet, for me, in the National League. ... He throws a curveball now, he throws one of the better change ups, a swing-and-miss changeup, he throws the cutter, the comeback sinker. They're all an evolution from when he signed to 2014. And it's not because of me, or Jeff Pico or Dick Pole or anyone else who has worked him, but because he's chasing the greatness. That's him. That's not influenced by people like me or coaches or managers. It's inherit to him, and Jamie Moyer was the same way -- always chasing greatness, how can I be the best at what I do? You talk to him, I don't think he'd every mention that. It' just part of his DNA."

Price also compared him to another pitcher, Max Scherzer, in how he approaches hitters

"He's an unbelievable competitor, I've never seen him back down to a hitter," Price said. "I've said this many times, I think the only couple of guys I've had that I felt like they've never backed down to a hitter are Johnny and Max Scherzer. They've never saw a hitter that they thought was better than they were. And I've never seen 'I'm going to be careful to this guy, because I'd rather face the guy on deck.' He just doesn't see it that way. He gets upset when we walk the eight hitter to face the pitcher with two outs and a runner in scoring position. He just doesn't feel the need. It's pretty special."